The Case of Kuruma Taiki
by Hiryu Kaga
Summary: Some things are better left buried. But some have a tendency of crawling out of the earth and finishing their affairs. And Kuruma Taiki is just one of these things...


_**Disclaimer:** World of Darkness, Kindred of the East and all associated terms are trademarks of White Wolf; I wish they hadn't chucked out that sorry excuse for a game that goes by the name "WoD" now. The old one was much better._

**THE DANCE OF THE CENTIPEDE**

by Hiryu Kaga

A typical evening in Akihabara. The rain was falling steadily, distorting the neon lights of the crowded street. Shops full of people, arcades, irritably buzzing DDR machines. More or less legal businesses made in the skyscrapers.

_Kanda had always been in contrast to Akihabara, like Yin to Yang. A peacful district full of peaceful people. Even the cops living here spent their evenings with their families, starting 10 PM sharp. Like the guy he was waiting for. _

_A car stopped in front of the house. Tai slowly emerged from the tree's shadow. _

_- Hoshina. _

_The man looked around nervously and Tai suppressed a sigh. His old friend... partner... had lost something since the old days. Not the same reflexes, the sharpness that the policeman used to have. _

_- Over here. _

_The cop finally noticed him. _

_- Excuse me, do I... - he stopped, bug-eyed, when he saw Tai's face in the lamplight. _

_- Surprise, man. _

_- You... - Hoshina stammered out, stepping back. - But you... _

_A grim smile. _

_- Technically, yes... I'm quite dead. But you know what they say of tragically deceased... _

_Of course he knew. Hoshina was _edokko_, his family had lived here for centuries. All Kanda inhabitants knew the old traditions, all knew of the hungry dead. _

_As the cop took another step backwards, his hand moved under his jacket. _

_- It's okay... - the vampire's smile faded a little. - I'm not here to hurt you, so don't pull that gun on me. Why should I do anything to you? I need your help. I'm sure you know why I'm still around... _

_The policeman let his hands fall at his sides, unarmed. _

_- The investigation... it froze after you died - he choked. - They took it away from me. They didn't even press charges against him, he said it was self-defense. They didn't have enough evidence, and no witnesses. _

_- No problem... I'll take care of him myself. I already know he was the one responsible... And he didn't expect me to come back for him. If you help me, I'll be able to leave this life behind. _

_Silence. _

_The vampire sighed and turned away. _

_- Wait. I'll... I'll help you. What do you want me to do, Kuruma?_

Kuruma. A name he had abandoned. He used it only when he necessarily he needed it.

_To live a thousand lives, each one more beautiful than the other_. Ichichiyo, A Thousand Genarations, A Thousand Beautiful Lives.

He scowled. Before he starts playing with lives, he has to finish this one. And that depended on just one more thing...

His old contacts allowed him to follow the bastard's every move. It seems the tin men were useful after all. They couldn't charge the degenerate with anything, but there was one witness that could take care of him better than a strike squad.

A tall, handsome man, about fourty years old, dressed in a perfectly fitting suit, walked out of the building and into the car. Tai followed.

The next day, all morning news services repeated the same report.   
Ashino Koichi, a respected businessman, was found dead in his apartment. Although a few years earlier he had been interrogated as a suspect in a case of serial manslaughter, is death had only served to prove his innocence.  
He was killed in the same brutal and grotesque way, as the victims in the aforementioned case.

A certain young man smiled that morning, turning off the TV.

- Tanaka? If Ichichiyo shows up, send him straight to me.

Although he doubted if he would ever see Ichichiyo Tai... The Dance of the Wise Centipede had finally started that night.

**A/N:** _The Case of Kuruma Taiki_ is basically a bunch of stories about my Kindred of the East character. Actually, none of these were played yet, they are only a draft of what I have planned for him. At this point, he is still a fairly young Kuei-jin of the Path of a Thousand Whispers (aka Path of the Wise Centipede); still, he is already a _jina_ of his dharma... not for long, though. Yeah, I'll tell you later. ;)

Read and review. Don't bother to flame - I'm quite used to Ghost Flame Chintai. :P


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